OTTAWA - Some communities and environmental groups are crying foul over Ontario's plan to allow sewage sludge to be spread on farmers' fields without a waste-disposal permit.
Maureen Reilly of the group SludgeWatch says new regulations would treat sludge as a beneficial nutrient when it's applied to crops - but as a potentially hazardous waste when used for other things such as biofuel.
"You put this waste in a truck and send it to a field and suddenly it's not a waste," she said.
"How does that make any sense?"
About 120,000 tonnes of sludge are used as fertilizer on the province's farms every year. Under proposed regulations expected to become law by the end of the year, companies that transport and spread the sludge would no longer be required to obtain certification under the province's Environmental Protection Act.
The certificates identify who is authorized to spread sludge and where, and are available for the public to view.
Eileen Smith, a waste-management policy manager for Ontario's Environment Ministry, said the new regulations will mean higher standards for the levels of nutrients sludge must have before it can be used as a fertilizer.
Currently, certificates are granted on a case-by-case basis under a set of non-binding guidelines. Under the proposed regulations, the licensing standards for farmers and sludge-spreading companies will be covered by the same set of legally binding rules, Smith said.
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Communities Opposed to New Sludge Rules
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The Canadian Press, May 3, 2009
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